Our View: Vote yes to keep North Suburban library strong

Libraries are fundamental to an educated and informed public. More information is being delivered digitally today, but bricks-and-mortar library buildings have an important role in society.

Those buildings need to be maintained and, as any homeowner knows, maintenance is not cheap.

North Suburban Library District leaders are asking voters to say yes to redirecting money from expiring bonds to the library’s operating fund. A yes vote means the Library District would be able to use the money for plumbing and electrical upgrades, roof replacements, additional materials and eMaterials and a parking lot expansion. It will pay for shelving, furniture and additional bandwidth for Wi-Fi.

The switch will not raise property taxes. If residents vote no, homeowners would save $14.64 a year, which is less than the cost of a hardcover book.

That’s a small price for the many benefits the library provides.

We encourage voters to say yes.

You don’t have to set foot in a library to use its services. You can check out a book from the comfort of your home by using digital services, but that doesn’t diminish the value of the physical building.

Libraries are more than places to check out books. They are gathering places where information and ideas are shared on a regular basis. Libraries host public forums, provide educational experiences for children, offer affordable classes to help adults improve themselves and much more.

Public libraries ensure that access to information should not be based on a person’s ability to pay. Library services often are taken for granted. People may not realize how important those services are until their circumstances change and they have to turn to the library for help.

The North Suburban Library District has been helping to inform and educate the public for 70 years. It serves more than 70,000 residents in northeast Winnebago County and Boone County.

The largest facility, 6340 N. Second St. in Loves Park, was built in 1969 and was expanded in 1987 and 1997. The Roscoe facility opened in 1997 and was expanded in 2008.

A $5.3 million building bond was used in 1997 to expand the Loves Park facility and to build the Roscoe facility. That bond will be paid off in 2015. Library officials want to use the money that went toward paying off that bond to pay for improvements. It’s the same amount of taxpayer money, just used differently.

The referendum question is confusing. It had to conform to state statute, but don’t let the language on the ballot deter you. The measure will not increase taxes and will help the Library District remain viable for years. Vote yes March 18.